the u.s. is actually operating out of a small business in jordan, about 150 troops there helping the jordanians deal with the exodus of refugees coming out of syria as well as preparing for the possible use of chemical weapons in syria itself. >> rose: how about the israelis? >> of course, the israelis -- of course they are watching this very closely in the region with intelligence and u.s. and israeli officials are keeping very close tabs on this and cob subtling each other very closely. >> rose: from all the sources you know about this particular question of the chemical weapons and how the war is going, what is it they -- how do they assess it at this particular point, this -- as we begin the final month of the year? >> the fighting in syria, of course, has gone ebbs and flows with the syrian regime, of course, having -- using increasingly harsher tactics, in some cases flattening parts or entire parts of cities that the rebels take. the rebels in recent weeks, of course, had seized a numbe